ST. JOHN CRIME: Masked Burglar Identified on Camera After Ransacking St. John Businesses for Soda and a Cheap Cellphone
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun News Reporter
CRUZ BAY — A late-night commercial burglary spree on St. John ended in an arrest after a suspect pulled down his face mask directly in front of security cameras, leaving VIPD detectives with an undeniable look at his identity.
The suspect, identified in court documents as Alan Jason Beyer, was apprehended in Cruz Bay on Thursday morning after local officers spotted him walking near a popular local eatery. Beyer now faces multiple criminal counts following a double-business heist in Estate Susannaberg that net the intruder little more than a couple of cold drinks and a low-end smartphone.
According to a sworn probable cause fact sheet filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands by VIPD Detective Jermaine Carty, the multi-site commercial break-in unraveled on Wednesday morning, June 17, 2026.
The Susannaberg Break-Ins
The timeline began at approximately 6:20 a.m. on Wednesday, when Sandra White, the store manager of Paradise Lumber and Hardware located at 3C-1 Susannaberg, arrived to open the facility. Upon entering the store, White discovered the cashier counter completely ransacked. Shaken by the discovery, she immediately contacted the 911 Emergency Call Center for immediate police assistance.
Responding VIPD officers and general manager Jammie Joseph reviewed the property's digital surveillance network. The footage was copied to a jump drive and turned over to local detectives for forensic review.
While crime scene technician Teflon Marsham was actively processing the scene at Paradise Lumber, detectives were approached by a neighboring business owner, John Griffith. Griffith informed investigators that his nearby establishment, Heading East Bar and Grill, had also been burglarized during the exact same overnight window.
An employee at the restaurant later demonstrated to police how the intruder bypassed security, lifting a westward aluminum security shutter and crawling underneath it into the kitchen area. The intruder successfully made off with a business-owned Samsung cellphone before exiting through a back door.
Caught on Camera: The Unmasking
A thorough review of the high-definition security footage from both locations quickly turned the investigation from a blind search into a targeted manhunt.
At approximately 1:17 a.m. on Wednesday, surveillance at Paradise Lumber captured a Caucasian male wearing a black face mask, a black long-sleeve sweater over a green undershirt, blue jeans, and black Crocs walking behind the cashier area. The man pushed a plexiglass panel inward on an eastern window, positioned a nearby lawn chair outside to use as a step, and climbed into the building.
Once inside, the suspect aggressively rummaged through the cashier's drawers, locating keys and attempting to force open the cash registers, though he was unsuccessful. Failing to secure cash, the man walked over to a retail drink cooler near the main entrance, removed an orange soda and a coconut water, and exited back through the window.
The suspect's critical mistake occurred immediately after stepping onto the loading dock area, where he pulled down his face covering. Reviewing the footage, Detective Carty explicitly recognized the unmasked face as Alan Beyer.
Thirty-four minutes later, at 1:51 a.m., the exact same individual—wearing identical clothing—was captured on camera at Heading East Bar and Grill. After failing to pry open the wooden bar shutters, the suspect slid under the western aluminum shutters feet-first. Once inside the kitchen, he grabbed a Samsung phone resting on top of a cash register. Just as he had done at the hardware store, the suspect removed his face mask mid-burglary, providing detectives with a second clear confirmation of his identity.
The Cruz Bay Arrest
The search for the suspect concluded at 10:48 a.m. on Thursday, June 18, when VIPD Officer Clint Ettinoffe spotted Beyer walking in the vicinity of The Longboard restaurant in Cruz Bay. Outfitted with the positive camera identification, officers detained Beyer on the spot.
Upon his arrest, detectives recovered a Samsung phone from Beyer's possession. The device was missing its SIM card and had been placed in airplane mode. When questioned about the device, Beyer claimed he had "just bought the phone earlier that day," but flatly declined to state where or from whom he purchased it.
The phone was later shown to the complainant, John Griffith, at the Leander Jurgen Command station, who identified the specific model number—SM A146U1—matching the stolen item. Court documents reveal the market value of the stolen smartphone is estimated between $60.00 and $90.00.
Arraignment and Charges
Unable to post a cash bail set at $51,000.00, Beyer was transferred to the Richard N. Callwood Command on St. Thomas and subsequently remanded to the Bureau of Corrections.
According to the official judicial case files reviewed via the C-Track Public Portal, Beyer has been formally charged under case number ST-2026-CR-00151 with:
Two counts of Third-Degree Burglary (14 V.I.C. § 444 (1)), classified as a Lesser Felony.
Two counts of Petit Larceny (14 V.I.C. § 1084(a)), classified as a Major Misdemeanor.
The case was officially opened and docketed by the Clerk of the Court, Tamara Charles, early Friday morning. An Advice of Rights hearing was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Friday, June 19, 2026, in the St. Thomas Magistrate Division (Room MG-3) before the Honorable Judge Julie Smith Todman.
